‘Office’ schedules Amy Ryan

'Wire' star taps into returning role on sitcom

“The Wire” star Amy Ryan will get a chance to flex her comedic muscles a bit more next season as she joins “The Office” for multiple episodes.

Ryan is set to appear in at least five segs in the fall, reprising her role as human resources rep Holly Flax. Ryan’s character first showed up in “The Office’s” season finale as a potential love interest for Michael Scott (Steve Carell).

“I don’t know what they’re going to do with the character,” Ryan said, “but as it was written, there’s certainly a lot of potential. It’s a funny thing to enter a show that you’re a great fan of — and it’s nice to tell lighter stories. I love the dark, grittier side of life, but it’s nice to take a break from that, put a skirt on and brush your hair.”

“Amy gave the character of Holly an openness and matured innocence that exposed a new side of Michael,” said Lieberstein, who was just upped to exec producer on the show. “She placed her character right on his level.”

Ryan will next be seen in Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling,” as well as “Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone.” Thesp earned Golden Globe and Oscar noms for “Gone Baby Gone” and also appeared with Carell in “Dan in Real Life.” She spent five seasons on “The Wire.”